Lazlow Jones

Lazlow Jones is a real-life American talk show host who is involved in writing and producing Grand Theft Auto games. He voices a character of the same name in many GTA games, and appears in person in Grand Theft Auto V; the in-game Lazlow is an insecure, ill-mannered radio host who has nonetheless managed to retain work across the GTA rendition of the United States for over 20 years. As discussed below, Lazlow's in-game character is one of very few to crossover between the 3D Universe and the HD Universe.

In the GTA series

3D Universe

Lazlow's career began in the early 1980s as an intern for the V-Rock radio station in Vice City. He was the sidekick of then-DJ Cousin Ed. Lazlow quickly moved up the radio hierarchy and became the head DJ of VROCK, exhibiting a 'bad boy' attitude and a greatly inflated ego, the latter of which came back to bite him; he was fired from the radio station shortly after the events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Lazlow re-emerged in the early 1990's on the national scene as the new host of the syndicated radio show Entertaining America, replacing the original host after his untimely death at the hands of a roid-raging Jack Howitzer. Lazlow lost this job due to alcoholism some time after the events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Lazlow's next known radio gig was as the host of the popular talk radio station Chatterbox FM in the late '90s, where he took calls from random listeners and interviewed eccentric guests.

HD Universe

GTA IV

Lazlow lost his Chatterbox FM job, was divorced by his wife, got arrested for peeing at a Liberty City Swingers game in 2002 and developed a taste for exposing himself to old women on the streets; he was arrested for this in 2005. Deciding to try a return to radio, Lazlow raised enough funds in 2008 to start up a new radio station in Algonquin, named Integrity 2.0. His program on the station involves himself exploring Algonquin and interviewing people on the streets (likely due to him not actually having a physical studio to work from); unfortunately, his interviewing manner is poor, and it seems that his fame has waned — the people on the street whom he interviews show disdain for him, and for radio in general (even "Radio 2.0", as Lazlow calls it). During the show he makes a references to his real-life show, The Lazlow Show. He is always introducing Integrity 2.0 as "The Lazlow Show," also, he makes a comment, "...when sixteen year olds could drink and listen to metal music, you could smoke in bars, and get into high speed accidents..." which is a reference to the intro of The Lazlow Show in late 2006.

Lazlow is sponsored by ZiT, a program that will identify songs playing on the radio; he "presents" the company's automated greeting messages but the ZiT adverts still make fun of his need to be in the public eye, "... Our needy, washed up celebrity"

By 2008, Lazlow is forty-six, having been born in 1962. In the two DLCs (The Lost and Damned & The Ballad of Gay Tony), ZiT has dropped sponsorship for him and he has taken a hiatus to find a sponsor for his show (this creates a continuity gap between the DLCs and GTA IV, because the three games supposedly take place at the same time, yet GTA IV's Lazlow recordings make no reference to dropping ZiT or going on hiatus). He apparently got sponsorship from his step-father, who runs a funeral service called "Issac Hammerstein & Daughter's Funeral Service". Lazlow apparently does not like his step-father, making fun of his profession and his daughters (which Lazlow describes as ugly and obese), accusing Issac of taking up with his mother during his dad's funeral, and called his step-father a cockface on radio. Lazlow also reveals at one point during the DLC broadcasts that he had a sister who was abducted and murdered (something he feels compelled to deny knowing anything about).

He also has a LCPD record but the LCPD don't know his surname, claiming that the mystery of his surname, in the GTA world, is still unsolved and claiming the stupidity of the LCPD, as they never asked Lazlow what is his surname is.

GTA V

In 2013, Lazlow is the host of the show Fame or Shame and, according to the shows website entry (seemingly written by Lazlow himself), was 'recently voted the most handsome man in America by a major online poll' leading to a new a number of film producers wanting to cast him in films. He has also written a book, which is awaiting publication. In the mission Fame or Shame, Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips barge in on the Fame or Shame auditions at the Maze Bank Arena. While Michael's daughter Tracey is performing her audition, Lazlow gets too close to her, causing Michael and Trevor to stop the audition. The two chase Lazlow out of the arena, where he is eventually confronted and humiliated by Trevor at the Los Santos River.

In Reuniting the Family, Lazlow is talking to Tracey in a Vinewood tattoo parlor. Lazlow tells Tracey that if she gave him a blowjob, he would give her a second chance on the show; however Michael and his son Jimmy show up at the parlor, and Michael pierces Lazlow's face several times, draws a phallic tattoo on either his back or chest, and clips his ponytail. Michael demands that Lazlow put Tracey back on the show unconditionally and make her look good.

When Solomon Richardspremieres his latest movie Meltdown at the Oriental Theater, Lazlow is seen interviewing the film's stars for Weazel News. While interviewing producer Solomon Richards, Lazlow tries to ask him about a film role, Solomon jokingly tells Lazlow that he would be perfect for a project called The Closet. When Lazlow spots Michael and Jimmy, he quickly runs inside the theater to avoid the two.

Crossover continuities

Although the GTA III games and GTA IV are supposed to exist in different Universes, the character of Lazlow, just as Fernando Martinez, Jack Howitzer, and the mascot Derek the Dodo, appears to be an exception, as he makes many references to his past experiences as chronicled in the GTA III-era games, including direct references to Chatterbox and Vice City, among others. Presumably, in terms of GTA IV's storytelling, this simply indicates that those events and locations are common to both continuities. Lazlow does not make any reference to storyline events (i.e. the San Andreas riot of 1992, Phil Collins performing in Vice City in 1984), nor storyline characters. Lazlow has made more appearances than any other characters in GTA, appearing since GTA III, with the exception of GTA Advance (due to hardware limitations), as a radio DJ each time (except for GTA V in which he not only appears on the radio, but for the first time also appears on screen as a character).

Mission appearances

DJ info

Fast talking, mullet sporting, career obsessed DJ Lazlow is a man who believes he is on the way to the top. He loves the rock and roll life style, although he doesn't actually live it, and worships every morning at his mirror. He stole the V-Rock gig off his best friend and is desperate to get rid of the Vulture and make sure the focus remains tightly on himself. He believes being on the radio is a one way ticket to all the riches and girls the world has to offer. Unfortunately, it seems his ego may be the death of his career in rock and roll. Only time will tell.<ref>ViceCityRadio.com DJ info, retrieved from archive.org</ref>

LCPD Database information

Surname: ?

First Name: Lazlow

Age: 46

Place of Birth: Midwest

Affiliations:N/A

Criminal Record:

1994 - Stalking

1998 - Forcible Touching

2001 - Bribery

2002 - Public Lewdness

2004 - Bribery

2005 - Exposure Of A Person

Notes:

Hosted popular radio show on Chatterbox.

Twice charged for payola scandals in 2001 and 2004.

Arrested for public urination at a Liberty Swingers game in 2002.

History of exposing himself to old women when down on his luck.

Attempting to raise funds to launch a new radio station in Liberty City.

In real life

Lazlow

Behind the scenes, Lazlow is one of the writers of the game's script, providing political and cultural satire on the radio, and writing dialogue for street NPCs.

After gaining great popularity for his GTA III work, Lazlow took a larger role in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Rockstar hired Lazlow's production company, Radio Lazlow, to co-write and produce all the radio stations in GTA Vice City, as well as minor character and bystander dialogue. He was also the host of Vice City radio station V-Rock, referring to a comment made offhand in GTA III', that he only worked at Chatterbox "because [he was] fired from the rock channel".

He also returned as host of the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories' version of the Chatterbox radio show, although this time his role was smaller — during the time of Liberty City Stories, Chatterbox is merely a single show on a station, not an entire station on its own.

Lazlow returned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories as an intern at V-Rock, working for his real life friend, Couzin Ed. Earlier in Lazlow and Couzin Eds' real-life radio careers, Lazlow was the sidekick of Couzin Ed.

Lazlow returns as a member of the cast in Grand Theft Auto IV. He is referred to on other channels as the host of the "long-defunct" Chatterbox FM, and is raising money for a new venture. This new idea, the channel Integrity 2.0 (wherein Lazlow wanders Algonquin and interviews random pedestrians), goes on-air when the player gains access to Algonquin.

Lazlow also arranged voice cameos in the Grand Theft Auto games for several key figures from the hacker magazine 2600, including Emmanuel Goldstein, Bernie S., and Kevin Mitnick.

Lazlow hosts his own show online called "The Lazlow Show". The show takes place once or twice a year due to his schedule at Rockstar. The show is co-hosted by Reed Tucker and Big Wayne, who have both been in GTA games. The show is available on his website, but can also be found on a boxset that features every show and bonuses. Lazlow has said that after GTA IV was released, sales of the boxset went up dramatically. The show is extremely popular thanks to Lazlow's involvement in GTA, and has aired on Krock in New York and SiriusXM.